So the Apocalypse exchange was a bust all around for me. Went in 3 credits, got stiffed for the first time from my Santa (and it looks like no rematch for me), and the dude I gifted to hasn't posted the gift I sent or responded to any of the messages I sent him throughout the exchange. Usually stuff like this doesnt bother me, but seriously I cried this time. Note to self, do not do gift exchanges when suffering from postpartum depression. /end sob story.

I agree ! To me that is far worse then not getting a gift... giving a gift that someone doesnt like or didnt appreciated when I totally thought I nailed it :( oh well I think I will just do the teacher exchange this time around to get the sad taste out of my mouth lol

I got my two rematch giftees' information for the Zelda exchange!
I think for one, I'm going to gift one of the a music boxes I'm planning to sell on Etsy and at conventions. I'm going to make a few changes to the design, so it plays the tune when you open the treasure chest.

Rant time. I got boned. I put together an excellent arbitrary day gift and put thought and work into making it awesome for my match and he was thrilled. I got nothing from my match. Absolutely nothing. My rematch failed as well so I am pretty much done with redditgifts until they figure out a way to weed out the shitters who don't gift.

How're y'all's exchanges going? Just found out that mine was delivered yesterday! Time to check the mailbox!
I've still got a few more days before mine is ready to ship. Gotta make sure the paint job is good :D

I'm new to gifting - I'm noticing A LOT of posts about not getting gifts or receiving thanks. (Not in RAoA though, natch.) I'm putting hella effort into my upcoming Apocalypse Exchange (doing a lot of DIY stuff AND buying the $20+ present, customized cards & packaging). I did sign up to exchange with another Elf so that makes me less worried.

Did anyone ever not get thanks or get their exchange present and then had a good rematch, or another happy ending?

Does anyone know on what day we will be able to report nothing was received? I got all my exchange stuff except for the Condiment exchange. Seems like it should be soon that we could report being looked over...

I have gotten at least something from all three of my gifters (one of them is supposedly sending three things, two of which will come in July). Two of my giftees have posted their gifts. One may still be in transit, it is going to another country.

I signed up for my first Reddit Gift exchange, which is arbitrary day. I indicated I would not be able to ship internationally, and they gave me someone in Germany. I cannot afford to ship to Germany. (Shipping in the US is easy because of priority mail envelopes/boxes.) I tried contacting the only email contact I could find in the exchange (a support email) and have yet to hear back. What do I do?! Is there someone else I can contact? This really sucks.

So according to the tracking numbers, one of the gifts I sent arrived Friday and one arrived Monday. Still no thanks. On one of them, I really need them to do a thanks, because my receipt is damaged (I suspect my dog).

I have a question regarding the address provided to the person I am gifting. I don't know how often this happens, but when I searched up the address, nothing was found. I'm supposing because it's on a college, from what I'm gathering, but even then, wouldn't it pop up?

SHE LOVES IT I'M SO HAPPY :D I am very lucky to have a wonderful first RG experience. I'm very sorry for those who have had bad matches and no gifts, especially to those of you to who it's happened multiple times. That's shitty.

Two of my exchange gifts came today. I'm very satisfied with them. As for my third exchange, my Santa did pick up my information on matching day, but not since then, and has marked no gift sent. I'm not sure that's a good sign.

According to the tracking numbers, both of the packages I've shipped have arrived. Neither has done a thanks post yet, though I should give one some time since it just arrived this morning. But the other arrived Friday...

I love seeing RAoAer's getting gifted over in the RG threads. I'm going to post my thanks later today, my Santa sent me the box set of GoT books from my wishlist. That's some good stalking, he's not even an RAoAer.

So I anonymous contest my giftee because again, the profile is very empty and they aren't very active on reddit. They haven't messaged back and it's been a few days. I suppose now I just want to ask for suggest on what are some general fun, cool, interesting things to gift.

Awesome! My AD match's gifts should arrive tomorrow. I'm so excited! The other gifts are coming here, I'm waiting patiently for those so I can make a little package for each recipient. One of them, though, should have shipped by yesterday, but it hasn't. :/ Boooo.

I'm having everything shipped to me so I can try to package it in a fun way and then I want to add my own little piece of art to make it personal. But Amazon is taking forever..2 of the items weren't prime, so I won't be able to ship my gift to him til at least the 5th or 6th. =/

Lame. I did one person's shipped straight to him because he took a little longer to fill out his info. But it should be there quickly. I am eagerly awaiting the other two. I plan to send them priority mail, so they should be there quickly after I get them.

I'm sooo happy my Arbitrary Day SS came through so quickly! I put a crapload of effort into the last one only to get a no show but the girl was totally ontop of her game this time and so sweet. I like nice people :)

So, I'm a dolt and didn't realize that I would be out of town for business during the shipping period for Arbitrary Day when I signed up for it. It seems like everyone goes all out with packaging/personalizing gifts, and now I feel kinda bad for sending my gifts from Amazon + notes. The gifts themselves, I think the other person will like (followed their likes/dislikes pretty closely), but it's just going to be a generic box from Amazon.

Should I be worried about this? I don't want them to think I didn't put any effort into it.

I wouldn't be too worried. Several times, I've gotten gifts straight from the company rather than from my Santa. I'm doing that for one of my exchanges this time, too. It shouldn't be a problem, especially if you're including notes from Amazon. That's a big plus. I decided on one of the two things (the thing for him and not his dog) to spring for gift-wrapping. If you have the money, you might consider that. :)

I wouldn't worry about it. I think my match shipped me amazon things, and I wouldn't dream of being upset by whatever they felt was fitting to send. I mean, who complains about gifts? I think they will be thrilled that you took the time to get to know their likes and dislikes, not to mention thrilled that you sent anything at all. If they are not extremely grateful that an internet stranger sent them a completely random gift, just because you wanted to spread some love, then they are doing it wrong.

Disclaimer- This is my first RG too, I'm not trying to seem like I'm an expert or anything. These are just my opinions, beliefs and viewpoints and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Reddit, Reddit Gifts, any other Redditor, Snoo, or anyone associated with RAoA.

Oh good, I was feeling really awkward about it there for a bit. Thank you!!

Disclaimer- This is my first RG too, I'm not trying to seem like I'm an expert or anything. These are just my opinions, beliefs and viewpoints and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Reddit, Reddit Gifts, any other Redditor, Snoo, or anyone associated with RAoA.

My santa sent me something from Amazon prime, so it should get here today... The tracking info isn't working, so that's weird. We will see!

In other news, I spent like 3 hours last night photoshopping my giftee's dog into various scenes. I think I'll frame a few for her. Now I have to pick a couple amazon things for her and get it shipped! I hope she doesn't worry, but her gift is going to take a little while to get to her. Fingers crossed she likes everything!

My super vague match finally filled out his likes/dislikes form! So now I have lots of info. He said he wanted something he would use/watch/wear, so I got him a t-shirt from one of his favorite shows and a dog toy for his dog (since mine love to chew). I had it shipped straight to him, and had the shirt wrapped.

My other two exchanges, I've picked the item(s), but they're coming to me. I'm going to put together little gift packages in the USPS small flat rate boxes (to give a size idea). I'm thinking chapstick for the EDC exchange, and candy probably for both.

I really don't like my Arbitrary Day (super plus) match. His interests are so far off from mine. And everything on his wishlists is super duper expensive. ($250+). And no reddit activity for 3 months and very little history for his almost 5 year reddit history. This is bumming me out.

I am not sure... I know in certain states, you can buy wine on Amazon. Walking stick might be expensive to ship because of the large size, but it wouldn't be a no-no necessarily because it's not a flammable liquid like bourbon is.

I like my giftee, she seems pretty similar to me :D I hope she likes what I pick for her, we seem to have interests in common. I only wish that RAoA gifting karma mattered on Reddit Gifts, because I've heard a lot about people getting shafted. This is my first RG so no credit tiers for me. Oh, well, I'm going to have so much fun making things for my giftee anyway :) I think I'm going to do a mix of store bought and home made, hope she likes it!

*EDIT- there are some things missing from my wishlist and RG says my Santa said they shipped already... I wonder if it was them or you guys? I guess I'll find out soon :D

That's not fun. You might try searching on the Amazon site for their country, if they live somewhere like the UK or Canada. Then it would be in-country shipping. Or you could maybe get good shipping on Etsy if you look there.

he likes the dallas cowboys, dungeons and dragons, and scotch. he also likes fantasy books and building models -- im a girly gamer and i dont know much about d&d or ANYTHING that he likes. ugh. my husband doesnt either - any ideas ???

My Santa for AD seems super cool and grew up in the same town as me. They already messaged me and were really nice.
My giftee though. The only things he posts on reddit are on adviceanimals, bitcoin, and insulting people on /r/sex
I don't really know what to do with this. Would it be bad if I kinda didn't go as all out for this dude, and then signed up to regift and made someone else happy? I feel terrible.

Also, my bookmark giftee has never posted on reddit, and their rgifts info just said 'a bookmark is a bookmark' Honestly, that one made me laugh though.

Oh dear, I received my giftee and this individual isn't very active on reddit and doesn't have much information on their exchange profile. Are there any suggestion on how to go about finding a gift and gifting an individual like this? This is my first time being apart of a redditgift exchange and I need help!

Did they give you anything to work with? If not, you might try anonymously PMing them to ask for more information. That's what I did, since my person isn't very reddit-active and put "I will fill this out later" in the Likes/Dislikes.

I pulled my giftee's info, and I'm really excited to send off my gifts... Have bought one already :3

We have some similar interests, which is nice. I just wish I had signed up for Science too :( I was umming and ahhing over whether to, and it still says you can sign up on the front page, but alas, no signing up can be done :( This makes me sad!

I'm deliberating on a second gift - something I too have an interest in, but it would be a "cop-out" gift, or something that needs a little more research on, but may make them happier in the long run. I wish I had signed up for Science now, I was gonna send a giant microbe :(

I'm sad that you missed the Science one, that one does sound like fun. I might have signed up for that one, if I had had enough credits. I decided to do the plus tier for the AD exchange, though, so I didn't.

I am getting one big gift for my EDC giftee, which more than meets the $20 recommendation. I decided to get one bookmark for one thing my person mentioned and one set for another thing, so like four or five altogether. I'm happy with what I've selected.

I had enough for AD+ and one other, so I did that. I wanted to do the plus since my person last time never even marked the gift as shipped (though I did get a rematch, luckily). And I got to do bookmarks because it was a 0 credit exchange.

I decided that with being in class this summer and not getting any financial assistance - I would rather spend what little money I have here than on Reddit gifts which have been whole unremarkable experience for me.

I hope Arbitrary day works out!! I put so much effort/money into the "100th gift exchange" only to have a no gifter/no rematcher/giftee who didn't post any confirmation that she received it until a little while ago with a lame note =(

I wonder if the 3 point tier will weed out defectors. I wish I had enough to be in the 7 tier!

I feel you, I went and got what my person said would make his life complete and then ended up getting something that was a little lame, I am glad I did the 3 credit tier. :( Sorry some people are lame like that

I don't do the smaller exchanges but I always do Secret Santa and A-day. Sadly, I got stiffed last Christmas (a nice cherry on the crap sundae of being stuck in the hospital with sepsis) so I went for Plus this year, hoping I'll get matched with someone less tool-esque.

I signed up for Arbitrary Day and plushies. I only started with the exchanges last month with the Marvel one so I only had two credits to use. I kind of figured plushies would be (hopefully) easier than EDC though I kind of regret not doing EDC!

Has anyone done an exchange that happened close to when they were moving? I move at the end of May but I really want to do the Arbitrary Day exchange. Should I just put a note saying please ship after June 1st to "new address"? or should I just sigh & not do it?

They recommend about $20. The bookmark one would basically be free, if you're interested in that. I would recommend doing the Arbitrary Day. Just a free for all exchange and I'm sure you wouldn't disappoint anyone there.

Apparently it's unfair (according to my santa) that I have marked my gift as not recieved. They apparently posted it 2 weeks ago and we both live in the UK (post normally doesn't take more than 3 days) and they're complaing that they can't participate in the next round.

I have polietly told them that they will be unblocked once the mods have seen their proof of posting or if they have any tracking details I will try to track it from my end - but after being shafted on the 100th exchange (and not rematched) I feel I have to cover my bases!

If you're sending to someone international, make sure there are no shipping restrictions, and check if there's a price-value limit over which the giftee will have to pay an import tax to liberate their package from the post office. (One of my international giftees mentioned about that when we messaged back and forth, but it hadn't been in their likes/dislikes.)

Also, tracking numbers are good for later proving shipping.

And check their profile and likes/dislikes for any mention of allergies.

Other than that, as long as what you're sending comes from your caring about them, then as long as they're a decent person, they will be happy :)

Just signed up for Rubber Ducks! There's this awesome breakfast diner in my town that gives out all kinds of ridiculous rubber ducks on Sundays. I'm excited to give some of the ones I've collected away and see what new duck I get to add to the family. :D

Hi! Just sharing - I am going to do the 7 credit AD, the bookmarks and I think maybe the science. Or the Tolkein. Or the both. :)

For those of you who are new to this, I just want to share some of my experiences. I was really clueless going in. I've done 11 exchanges and I've been a rematcher for three as well. I've also been gifted in rematching twice - and gotten nothing for two.

For me, my only really yucky experience was someone who was unappreciative... I stress about the giving part far more than the getting, but my family is pretty poor, so things like shipping charges are a big deal to us. So I often turn to Amazon, which isn't as fun, but it makes it so I at least feel like I am getting something that the person really wants. (My bad experience, I actually bought off her wishlist.) I typically spend about $30 average per exchange.

So - people talk about the crap experiences, because they do sting a bit. But here's the thing. This is reddit wide, so you know some people will be matched with downvoters, shitstirrers, frauds and trolls. There just isn't a way around it. I think the RG folks do a masterful job of keeping them to a minimum, but know going in that you might get shafted. And there might not be enough people rematching for you to get a rematch.

I think you have to be okay with that or you're going to have a bad time.

Now, for the good. I have gotten a few incredible gifts. One is a handmade crocheted blanket that matches my decor as if I custom ordered it. It's huge. And perfect. I use it every single day. Someone freaking made that for me. I'm still gobsmacked - and it's been a year.

And similar, for the Game of Thrones exchange, my match made me the most incredible quilt with family crests, the direwolves, the mottos and omg!! It's on the wall in my room and I also walk by, glance up and have to stop to just shake my head. Someone (extremely talented) made that for me. For ME!!

Then there was my rematcher, who stalked me perfectly and gave me the most luxe, interesting, wonderful gifts. She not only sent a great and beautiful gift, but she was just a lovely person and I mean, how cool is that? Oh and I had my hometown gifter who introduced me to a place I'd never heard of and I feel like I now have a friend there.

For me, I try and think of it like a cracker jack box. Sometimes, the prize is missing. It sucks, but it's to be expected. And sometimes you get say, a camo plastic ring, which even if you don't love, you can give it to your brother to play with. And then sometimes, you get a golden ticket kind of thing that absolutely blows your mind. And my analogy actually sucks, because the best part of redditgifts is getting to know some really amazing people. Not every time, but sometimes. That part is the best by far.

I have a bit of an exchange problem which is how I found RAOA in the first place. When I saw the new exchanges today and that I had 33 credits I decided to try the 7-credit Arbitrary Day and the baseball exchange. I'm on the fence about the others this round. I tend to do several each time and my husband is getting overwhelmed with all the packages going in and out of our place.

I waited for so many months to sign up, then I wished I'd done it sooner.

Then after doing a few, I got burned and burned out and hated them for a few days. :) I think, much like RAoA honestly, it can have ups and downs. For me, the only way I can do it is by not expecting a gift and also by not expecting a good thanks. That way, I can't be (too) disappointed. Picking out gifts is the fun part - but even that can be stressful as hell!

The only really hurtful exchange to me was when someone who is here and a redditgifts elf (which is like gold but secretsanta specific) was a total jerk about the gifts that I got her. I think she wanted money. But I'm poor. :)

Seeing the new exchanges though, I'm excited again!! I hope you try them out - if you have any questions, I'll be happy to help!! And if you just aren't sure about it, you can always test the water with the bookmarks exchange. That way, you don't use your one credit (which you use to buy into exchanges) but you'll gain one AND you won't be spending a lot.